AV Research

Over the last couple of years, Audioholics’ speaker reviews have contained measurement graphs that have prompted questions from many readers about the meaning and importance of the information displayed in them. Some readers have found the information in them confusing, and that is our fault for not recognizing how cryptic these sort of representations are for an average reader. In this article, we explain frequency response and the set of frequency response curves known as the 'Spin-O-Rama' curves.

Ultra High Definition is finally starting to take hold in the market with equipment prices that are beginning to drop into the range for buyers of normal means with more HD content becoming available for everyone’s viewing enjoyment. But what does the new technology entail and how does one navigate all the new specifications, acronyms, and jargon along with all the recycled, updated, and bastardized terminology from the previous generation of HDTV. That is where Audioholics comes in to do some critical review to help you, the reader, sort through it all.

Do grilles on speakers really make a difference on or off? Most home audio loudspeaker grilles are removable so their use is optional for most applications. Given how fussy audio enthusiasts can be though the use of grilles has been a point of strong personal preference for as long as there have been home audio loudspeakers. This article will help resolve the issue of whether or not to remove them for critical listening and how they affect the overall sound.

Which is more accurate at detecting sound: our ears or a microphone? Most people might automatically assume a microphone since a good microphone can measure sound pressure over frequency so precisely, but the reality is even the most sophisticated microphones are relatively simple devices compared to human hearing. What makes our hearing so special compared to the exactitude of a microphone? You will have to read our article to see if the ear is mightier than the microphone at gauging sound.

Turntables are getting very popular again. People are rediscovering the romance and appeal of vinyl, plus there is the now-solidly-entrenched faction that simply believes that analog-produced music sounds better than digitally-produced music. Today, $3000 turntables are commonplace. But how did we get here? Let’s take a step back and look at the history and development of the modern turntable to see why things are as they are.

IMAX has been a staple in the movie theaters as the best in sound and video for over a decade. Now they want to bring that experience into the home theater realm but it's going to involve 3 things: IMAX Enhanced hardware, and content. OK that's 2 things. Ironically the new standard that they're attempting to set mentions nothing about the room acoustics or speaker dispersion or output requirements. Perhaps in the near future that will be revised but let's go with what we know so far to determine if IMAX Enhanced is a must have in your home theater.

Confused by the alphabet soup of amplifier classes? Do you wonder what terms like Class A or Class D mean? Long story short, these aren't grading systems with which to judge amplifier quality, but are in fact descriptions of an amplifier's topology. Understandably, each class brings something a bit different to the table, but the end goal is always the same: amplifying the input signal without introducing distortion. Curious to find out the real differences among the different classes? Keep reading to find out and be sure to watch our recently added YouTube video discussion!

High Dynamic Range or HDR is arguably one of the most important features in new 4K/UHD displays. But guess what? Many brand new 4K/UHD TVs don't have HDR—and can't support it! Rest assured, we'll tell you all about HDR, why it's important, how you can tell if your TV has HDR, and finally the HDR technologies to look out for. You don't want to miss this article.

We often get asked how much AC wall power is needed to run a typical home theater system. There are lots of factors that determine this such as the number of AV components you have plugged into the same outlet and their associated power consumption, and whether or not that outlet is shared with other appliances or lighting on the same circuit. This article and related YouTube video discussion provides guidance on helping you decide whether you need dedicate 20A outlets for your home theater to deliver 1.21 Gigawatts!

Dirac Panorama Sound is a new mobile audio solution designed to improve the relatively unsatisfying experience of watching content and playing games on portable devices with small, closely-positioned speakers. Like the company’s state-of-the-art room correction software, Dirac’s mobile tech optimizes both impulse and frequency response to improve sound quality and create the impression of a wider soundstage. Does Dirac Panorama Sound have the edge over competing solutions from Dolby and DTS?

A frequent question we get asked is if Dolby Atmos add-on speaker modules work well enough to be a viable alternative to discrete ceiling mounted speakers. We discuss the trade-offs in using Atmos-enabled speakers to help you determine if they are right for you.

Variety is said to be the spice of life. Why only eat cherry Starbursts when you can sample orange, watermelon, lemon, etc? The same applies to multi-channel surround sound upmixers. But the folks at Dolby® apparently want you to eat ONLY one flavor. Their flavor. Dolby recently issued a mandate to ALL of their Atmos licensee partners to restrict usage of 3rd party upmixers with ANY Dolby signals including 5.1/7.1 DD, DD+, TrueHD and Atmos. What implications will this have in your system? Read on to find out and be sure to watch our related YouTube video discussion too.

THX Standard Website was recently launched to "objectively" compare products for various categories, including HDTVs, Amplifiers, and Powered Speakers. On the surface, this seems like a great idea. But are their measurements accurate and is their scorecard truly objective? We take a closer look at their new website and procedure on evaluating amplifier products to get the answer. Is their new website the real deal or fake news? Read on to find out.

As an addendum to our review of the Dayton Audio CBT24 "Epique" loudspeakers, we have invited the CBT24 designer Don Keele to explain some of the unique aspects of the CBT design in more depth and the CBT24 in particular. Don Keele's accomplishments in loudspeaker design is a long list, as is the list of awards he has received in this endeavor which includes a Scientific and Technical Acadamy Award from the Acadamy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for work he did on constant-directivity horns. In this short piece, Don explains some of the features and science behind the CBT24 and what performance characteristics separates it from conventional loudspeaker design.